Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Hyun-jin Ryu, 36, is making good progress in his rehab assignment and is closing in on a return to the major leagues. Toronto manager John Schneider plans to monitor him for at least two more games before calling him up.
Ryu made his first start for Toronto’s Triple-A Buffalo Bisons on Sept. 16 against the Toledo Mud Hens (Detroit Tigers) at Salmon Field in Buffalo, N.Y. He pitched five innings of three-hit ball (one home run), striking out five and walking one. He earned the win in the team’s 8-2 victory.
Since rehabbing from Tommy John surgery on his elbow last June, Hyun-jin Ryu has worked his way through the Rookie League (three innings, four hits, no walks, five strikeouts), Single-A (four innings, three hits, no walks, one strikeout), and Triple-A. He also increased his pitch count from 42 and 37 to 66 today.
According to the Toronto Star, Ryu said, “I’m happy to be able to compete at a higher level. I was able to focus on more things and execute what I needed to do. I had to throw at least 65 pitches. I wanted to get to the hitters as quickly as possible, so I was very happy with that.” As for what’s next, he said, “I’ll come back here and pitch again and then we’ll discuss the future. There’s nothing wrong with my arm,” he said.
On July 17, MLB.com reported, “Ryu, who pitched at Triple-A Buffalo, will need more time in the minors to increase his velocity and refine his delivery. Coming back from Tommy John surgery is no simple task. Schneider said he expects Ryu to make at least two Triple-A starts.
“That would be ideal,” Schneider said. Ryu’s track record speaks for itself. We trust him, but at the same time, we want to make sure he’s completely ready,” he said, noting that he’s in no rush to make sure he’s perfect. He’s expected to throw 80 pitches in the next game and close to 100 in the one after that to build up.
Meanwhile, the Toronto Star reported that “Ryu, a ninth-year major leaguer, is entering the final year of a four-year, $80 million contract he signed with Toronto before the 2020 season. He could rejoin Toronto’s starting lineup or be the subject of trade talks. Regarding trade speculation, Ryu said, “I’m not thinking about that. Right now, it’s important to focus on my rehabilitation, and I’m focusing on that.”
Toronto has a five-man starting rotation of Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassett, Jose Berrios, Yusei Kikuchi and Alec Manoa. Ace Gaussman was scratched from his start against the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 16 due to side soreness, but it’s not expected to be a major injury, just a skip or two in the rotation.
Once Gaussman returns and Hyun-jin Ryu joins him, the team will have six starting pitchers. It’s possible that there could be a traffic jam ahead of the trade deadline at the end of July, but it’s unlikely to be Ryu, who is just coming off a rehab assignment. You also need to be prepared for Manoa to struggle. Manoa pitched six innings of one-run ball against Detroit in his comeback on Aug. 8, but it’s too early to judge his resurgence based on one game.카지노사이트
It’s unlikely Toronto will rush to trade a starter. “You can work backwards from where we were a month and a half ago,” Schneider said. If you have six starters who are performing well, you can use that to your advantage and give guys a break or two,” Schneider said. With Manoa sent down to the minors in early June, Toronto operated with four starters for over a month.
As MLB.com notes, “Togausman, Bassitt, and Berrios have carried a very heavy workload this season. They haven’t gotten a single extra day of rest by running a four-man rotation with bullpen days thrown in. More starting pitching is always better, and Ryu’s return will likely help Toronto in some way.